hi around 4 weeks ago i thought i had slept funny my left shoulder and neck was hurting went to work as normal as the day progressed it was getting worse the pain was travelling down my forarm into my wrist, my hand hurting where i was having to stop writing or typing after a couple of mins and rub my hand. the following days it got worse and i could raise my arm or move it from my body. i ended up at the doctors who said i had 2 put it in a sling and gave me tramadol for the pain. i cant take antimflammatories due to stomach problems. i sent me for a xray to see if i had calcified bits in the shoulder but i havent. i have since had a steriod which has eased it a little however still getting pain i cant lift a kettle and my arm feels weak like i have no strength has anyone got any ideas what is wrong? i take a nerve blocker so it cant be nerve related thank you in advance
How about you ask for an ultrasound instead this could reveal more than an xray?
I had severe pain in shoulder and arm (muscle) and had a negative exray. Sent to P.T. for six weeks without improvement. Had MRI which showed full thickness tear in roatator cuff with other related issues. Had surgery 9/17, in an immobilizer for 6 weeks, and now P.T. three times a week until March. I have impingement now and I can only raise my arm to my waist. Moral of the story is that I should have insisted on an MRI earlier instead of wasting my time going to P.T. prior to diagnosis! Good luck Coral!
Better to jave an MRI as it is more thorough
not had a can yet only xray and steriod injection
thank you for the info. i did say i wanted a scan and they said to have the injection first. im not medically trained but to me it would make more sense to have a scan first to see what is going on and whether it warrants the injection
I also had an injection first. I have a feeling that the reason they take the conservative approach is because of insurance regulations! I expressed my concerns about wasting my time with six weeks of P.T. prior to my diagnosis. The surgeon said that it was beneficial to "build up" my shoulder prior to surgery.
It sounds like to me more of a neck problem, although I could be wrong. I had similar symptoms several years ago and the MRI I had on my neck showed a bulging disc that was pinching nerves that sent pain, numbness and tingling into my arm and hand. Only on one side. Although some shoulder problems can do similar things, maybe you could get an MRI on your neck as well just to make sure. I have seen so many people have shoulder surgery just to find out later that they had more serious issues with their neck and the surgery did not really help.
sorry for the late reply i have been poorly. a person at work said a similar thing to me. she said it sounds like it stems from my neck and could be nerve related. if i go to my g.p. and ask for an MRI scan on my neck do you think they will send me for one?
There's no way to tell what your doc may say, but you can stress the numbness and tingling, that may help sway his decision. And some docs actually listen.